Nikon AW120 experience

I had a chance to borrow a Nikon AW120 recently for a dive where my SLR gear was left at home. For a shallow dive in the Florida Keys, at 20 feet with bright sunlight, this was a surprisingly capable little camera. I could zip it into a pocket in my BC, forget I had a camera with me, and then pull the camera out when I saw a yellow stingray posing. Set at 24mm with the flash turned off and the underwater mode, I couldn't figure out how to change any other settings.

Although I would have liked better sharpness and contrast, I'm actually pretty happy with this picture. It's not publication quality, but I think it's acceptable for web viewing, and certainly the best composed image I have taken of the species.

I got the newer AW130 which is waterproof to 30m, so you can stick it in your pocket even during scuba diving. I took it few meters below 30m and it was just fine. I like it to get GPS coordinates for a reef mapping project and it turned to be most valuable by giving it to my buddy who turned out to be excited in using it for video and doing a much better job at it than I would have done. No competition for a "real" camera, especially without lighting, but ok for documentation. I also typically come home with 2000+ fish images and not a single picture of my buddies or "surface time" because my camera never leaves the housing. Family seems to appreciate the latter much more than the former and the AW30 is a great stick-it-in-your-pocket camera.